Wii-like controllers let players operate tiny fighting robots

Do you like the idea of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, but find them just a bit too primitive for a techy person like yourself? Well, then you may like the new BattroBorg 20 fighting robots from Takara Tomy. They’re actual, physical toy robots, that are operated via Wii-like nunchaku-style controllers.

Punches made by the players’ left or right arms, which are holding the nunchakus, result in the paired robot throwing punches with the same arm. The robot’s right arm delivers a long straight hit, while the left provides a hook, so players need to strategize accordingly. The robots can also be moved forward and left and right, via the punches used.

The controllers communicate with the robots via 2.4 GHz radio frequency, as opposed to infrared, which reportedly results in faster reaction times. Speakers on the controllers make nasty damaged-robot sounds when either player lands a solid hit, while LED damage meters on each ‘bot indicate how many hits they’ve taken. A total of five hits constitutes a technical knock-out.

A BattroBorg 20 set will be released in Japan on July 14th, and should sell for around US$50. It isn’t clear if one or two robots/controllers are in that set, although Japan Trend Shop is currently offering a set of its own for $73, that contains two robots and controllers, along with a boxing ring – according to that retailer, up to 20 of the robots can fight one another at once.